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Bra Rage: A Rant from the Front

This post has always existed in some form in my mind but it kind of came to head last week when another lovely tweeter I know was so upset over not being able to find nice swimwear that fitted and was affordable. I then ranted down the phone to my OH and when I took a breath he said: “You should blog about this.”

I guess some people would call me lucky as I’m naturally bigger in the chest department and I know that some people (read society and certain commercial industries) say they want what I have. People out there actually pay big bucks for big boobs. I don’t frown on these people because everyone is allowed to make informed decisions about their bodies but I do hope they know what they’re getting into. Aside from the physical aches and pains, what I want to rant about today is the lack of support out there.

from GIPHY

All these celebrities who get their boobs done and then flaunt them in pretty or sexy bras make me angry because what they don’t tell you is how much their bras cost. Bras are not cheap but you can get them cheaply in many high street shops.

BUT

If you happen to have a cup size over a D, like me, you’re basically up a creak without an underwire. I don’t earn big bucks and if I want a new bra I’m looking at £20-30 for a basic one. Plain black, white or nude and no pattern in sight. There are great companies out there like Bravissmio or BraStop and brands like Freya and Fantasie that make cool bras; ones with funky prints, flattery cuts and styles but you have to spend the top end of the budget for their basic ranges. Just because my Girls are larger doesn’t mean I want to be shoved into the granny bra select of M&S. I’ve had to deal with this since I was in my mid teens and it’s hard enough to fit in as a teenager but add in a physical feature that makes you stand out and then not being able to buy the cute, colourful ranges my friends wore was a REAL bonus growing up.

I want to feel pretty too and I want to be able to walk into a shop on my high street, any high street, and find a bra that fits and doesn’t cost more than my weekly food bill. I see all the smaller cup sizes in the high street shops that change every season and I envy everyone who picks them up.

I can’t remember the last time I bought a bra that fit me at full price because I couldn’t afford it. A full price bra is a TREAT in my budget and only the one mind you. There’s something wrong here.

I know some people will shout that I don’t have to buy them all the time or that I can shop around or to just stop moaning but I won’t. I can’t change my situation right now even if I wanted to and I didn’t pick it for me; genetics did that. Sometimes I’ve resorted to buying secondhand bras on eBay so I could get a replacement for one that was just too worn out. That’s how mad it is that I earn over minimum wage, live just outside London, pay rent, my own phone bill, petrol and taxes etc and yet a bra is a luxury item in my life. For me it should be a necessity but for my bank balance it remains a maybe thing.

from GIPHY

I don’t really know what I’m hoping to happen out of this post but I just wanted to rant I guess but I think it’s a rant worth having. It feels like I’m getting punished for something I didn’t ask for. When you see a black bra in a small size that is half the price of the alternative in my size, it’s not hard to see why. Considering that over the decades the average bra size in the UK has increased and now stands at 34DD, it’s surprising more people don’t talk about this more often. Society encourages that bigger is better but in my reality it’s just a pain in the arse.